Julian Sturdy
Main Page: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)(13 years, 4 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
Andrew Stunell
Clearly, those five years were a time when a Labour Secretary of State was standing at this Dispatch Box.
Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con)
18. What steps he is taking to strengthen the enforcement of planning decisions in respect of unauthorised developments.
The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark)
The Localism Bill gives enforcement powers to local councils specifically to prevent people from preventing enforcement against them by applying for retrospective planning applications.
Julian Sturdy
I thank the Minister for his response. Unfortunately, in my constituency the council has become well known for failing to enforce planning conditions. Given that we are encouraging local people to take a greater interest in local matters, does he not agree that local authorities must commit to strict enforcement of planning controls?
Greg Clark
One of the great advantages of localism and the Localism Bill is that it will be crystal clear that local authorities are responsible for these decisions, and I hope that in every part of the country local people, through the ballot box, will bring pressure to bear on councils that fall behind others.